Mechanism for operating harness in looms



(No Model.) Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. OTT.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING H-ARNESS IN LOOMS.

No. 364,283. Patented June 7, 1887.

"III/IA a r vii/Ill.

WITNESSES: INVENTQR AMA-A01 Wukwmblw M k WMWLQMM N. PETERS. Pholml-ilhographgr, wuhm tm D c (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2.

F. OTT.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING HARNESS IN LOOMS.

'No. 364,283. Patented June '7, 1887.

WITNESSES INVENTOR- fl. (FM :2 Y mum \SDK N. PETERS. Phnlu-Lilm n her. wnhin mn, D c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, FREDERICK OTT, OF GLOUCESTER, NEW JERSEY.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING HARNESS IN LOO MS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 36%,283, dated J'une '7, 1887.

Application filed October 26, 1886. Serial No. 217,209. (No model.)

To all whom it 72mg concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK Orr, a citizen of Germany, residing in the city of Gloucester, State of New Jersey, have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in Mechanisms for Operating Harness in Looms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the ac companying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has reference to devices to be attached to plain power-looms for operating fancy harnesses, either in connection with the plain harness or without the use of the latter.

By fancy harness throughout this specification I mean harness so regulated in its motion that the heddles do not alternate once to every beat of the shuttle, as plain harness does.

The merits of my invention are its great simplicity and the cheapness and case with which it may be placed upon plain powerlooms of the ordinary construction. At the same time patterns may be produced with its aid which could otherwise only be obtained by means of a (lobby-motion or other similar complicated attachment. Furthermore, the speed at which the loom may be run is in no way diminished by the use of my devices, while other devices for producing the same result require the looms to which they may be attached to be run ata reduced speed. These also, by reason of their being attached to the top or side of the loom, obstruct to a greater or less degree the light which falls upon the 1oom-an objection from which my devices are entirely free.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical crossseetion of a 100111 in a plane at right angles to the line of the shuttlemotion and somewhat to one side of the center. The loom is stripped of the reeds and of everything which wouldnotaidinunderstandingmyinvention. This figure shows in position the plain harness and one pair of fancy harnesses. Fig. 2 is a front view of a pair of fancy harnesses as I adjust them. Fig. 8 is a top sectional and Fig. 4 is a side view, on an enlarged scale,

of the projecting rod shown at a in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows in detail the lever f of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, A A is the side frame at the end of the loom. This is connected with the corresponding one (not shown) at the nearer end by the iron braces shown in section at B B. These in turn support at their centers a strengthening cross-bar, G, which serves as an auxiliary bearing for the main cam-shaft D.

E is the warpbeam, and F is the cloth-beam.

' The plain cams, levers, and plain harness are shown in position and need no special ref crence.

Thus far only certain essentials which are common to all looms have been mentioned.

To accomplish the ends of my invention I add another cross-bar, (not shown in the drawings,) running parallel to and at the same height as C, but a foot or more to this side. Upon these two cross-bars as bearings rests the secondary cam-shaft (Z. This is connected by gearing D S with the main camshaft D. The cogs should be so adjusted that the main shaft will make three, four, or five, 820., revolutions to one of the secondary shaft. It willbe assumed for convenience that the ratio of the revolutions is as four to one.

Between the cross-bars before mentioned runs a rod, (shown in section at c.) This bears a shoulder, upon which hinges the lever f, bearing the pin 9, which works in the groove 01' a cam, H, on the secondary cam-shaft. If the cam is shaped as shown in the drawings, this leverf will be down during half a revolution of the shaft d, or two revolutions of the main shaft D, and up a corresponding period. There are two picks or beats of the shuttle to one. revolution of the main shaft. Therefore the lever is down four picks and up four picks. By using different-shaped cams thelever may be kept down three picks and up five, or down two and up six, and so on.

I fasten to each corner of the arch of the loom a projecting rod, oneof which is shown at a, Fig. 1. Slightly-varying forms of this are shown in Figs. 3 and 4.. In Fig. 4 it hasa horizontal longitudinal slot, as well as a'series of vertical holes. In the former a pin supblocks carrying the pulleys p 1) are fastened.

Although both rollers and pulleys are shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the rollers are intended to be employed, preferably, only when theheddleframes are suspended by straps, and the pulleys only when the frames are suspended by cords or chains. In Fig. 3 there is no slot, but two series of holes-the one vertical and the other horizontal. \Vhere rollers are use they may be bolted on by means of a pin passmg through one of the horizontal holes, as at r, or the pin may be a part of the casting, as at 9*. Both these forms are shown in Fig. 3, and roller r also at the top of Fig. 2. The number of pulleys or rollers depends upon the number of pairs of heddles which it is desired to operate. For convenience two only are shown.

It is now possible for me to explain the man per in which I adjust the fancy harness which is operated by the lever f, and which constitutes the essential part of my invention. In Fig. 2 this fancy harness is represented as slung upon straps r 1*", passing over rollers r 1', pinned to the bars a. I screw pulleys b b b 11 into the floorbeneath the loom, directly under the harness which is to be attached to them. Chains 0 0 are attached to both ends of the lower lath of each of the heddles c c in the fancy harness.

As willbe seen by looking closely, the righthand chain, c, of the front heddle, afterpassing under the pulleys, becomes the left-hand chain of the back heddle, and vice versa, so that the chains cross at the point m. At 70, which may be on any one of the depending chains, but which only need occur once to each pair of heddles or harness, a metal strip is inserted in the chain. The lever f is fastened to this by a pin, (shown atl in Fig. 5,) and in such a way that whatever the position of the lever the strip 70 is always vertical. By following the line of the chains, the sides of the heddles, and the straps, it will be found that they together constitute a continuous circuit, which maybe set in motion by the movement of the lever f, and that the two sides of the front heddle move in the same direction, and likewise the two sides of the back heddle. Thus by the simple mechanical contrivance of these crossing chains the motion of one lever gives a positive alternating motion to both heddles of a harness.

The great advantages of these devices over all others, by which the same effect has been sought to be obtained, are the strength and steadiness thereof and the position of the lever at the side. As this alternating motion is commonly obtained,the lever or levers are attached to the center of the lower lath of each heddle, or, what is little better, there-is a Y-shaped cord, the arms of which come from the sides of the heddle, while the stem is attached to. the central lever. There is a great lack of steadiness necessarily attendant upon this method of attachment, and if the heddle be caught slightly at one side it will not go down straight.

This cannot occur when two separate chains, one on each side, are used, and hence the first great advantage of my invention. In other looms, in addition to such complicated forms of attachments as the dobby, &-c., the alternating motion has been obtained either by using two levers, one working each heddle, as plain harness is commonly worked, or by one lever working both heddles by means of a floor-pulley, both lever and pulley being in the .eenter, or thereby one lever working the front heddle, while the back heddle is caused to alternate by being pulled down by aweight or spring. By the use of my device I am able to obtain the same motion and yet place the lever at one side. This renders it possible for me to use any number of levers and heddles, provided the requisite motion of the levers can be obtained by cams upon the secondary cam-shaft. This is the second great advantage gained by my invention.

In the drawings but one pair of fancy harness is shown. It would not be practicable to operate more than eight or ten pairs;.but any number less than this can readily be used by means of my method of adjustment, and it is when a number are thus used that its advantages are especially patent.

Each pair of harness may be slung on rollers M" in a precisely similar manner to the one shown in Fig. 2; or, instead of straps passing over rollers, chains may be used, in which case pulleys p 11, mounted in blocks bolted into the vertical holes, must take the place of the rollers fastened through the horizontal ones. It must also be observed that the same motion can be obtained by inverting the arrangement shown in Fig. 2-that is, by using chains which cross each other above, while the lower chains, after *passing 'under pulleys turned across the length of the loom, ascend on the same side.

When the chains cross below, it is necessary to use for each pair of heddles two rollers or two pulleys turned crosswise to the loom, one on each rod,above,and four pulleys turned lengthwise to the loom below. Nhen the chains cross above, four pulleys turned lengthwise to the loom, two to each rod, must be used above and two pulleys turned across the loom below. Pulleys and rollers in these various positions are shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

\Vhen a number of pairs of harness are used, it is often desirable that instead of two contiguous heddles alternating they should be connected in a different way, in order to sim plify the drawing in. Thus where four heddies are used it may be desirable to have 1 alternate with 3 and 2 with 4, or 1 with 4 and 2 with 3. When this is to be done, it is well to IIO if 1 is to alternate with 4 and 2 with 3, both pairs may be arranged with their chains crossing above, and by having the'shafts of the pulleys which support the chains of 2 and 3 somewhat longer than those which support those of 1 and 4 the crossings will take place on different horizontal planes,-and there will be no interference.

Without further use of examples, it must be evident that the number ofpossible combinations when a number of heddles are used is very great, and yet by a judicious adj ustment of the chains and pulleys they may all be successfully operated. 111 all, the essential element of my invention still exists-namely, the attainment of a positive alternating movement between two heddles by means of chains connecting the corners of the heddles and crossing either above or below, thus forming, with the sides of the heddleframes, a continuous circuit, which is set in motion by a lever which is attached to one point of this circuit.

It may here be explained that by a positive motion I mean such a combination of two alternating heddles that the entire motion of each is directly dependent upon the motion of the lever, and not, as is usually the case, the joint result of the motion of the lever and the downward pressure of aspringor weight upon the alternating heddle.

Vhen many levers are used, some may be placed on one side of the center and some on the other side. Those on the same side should be placed as near together asis possible,which of course depends mainly on the thickness of their cams.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the heddles, pulleys or rollers above and below each of the corners of the same, the harness chains or straps passingaround said pulleys or rollers and connecting each corner of one heddle with one corner of its fellow, the corresponding corners being connected above and the opposite corners below, or vice versa, thus forming, with the sidesof the heddle-frames, a continuous circuit crossing itself once, a lever attached to some point of this circuit, and a cam which operates this lever, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the heddles, pulleys or rollers above and below each of the corners of the same, the harness chains or straps passing around said pulleys or rollers and connect- 55 ing each corner of one heddle with one corner of its fellow, the corresponding corners being connected above and the opposite corners below, or vice versa, thus forming,with the sides of the heddle-frames, a continuous circuit crossing itself once, as at m, the secondary cam-shaft d, the cam H upon said shaft, and the lever f, operated by the cam H and attached to some one point of the beforementioned continuous circuit, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

FREDERICK OT'l.

'Witnesses:

WM. H. MYERS, Man-1r. Wrmts COLLET. 

